A gay former trainer at an Equinox Holdings Inc. gym in Santa Monica gym has reached a settlement in her lawsuit in which she alleged that she was forced to resign from her job as a personal member trainer in 2024 due to ongoing harassment from male co-workers.
Plaintiff Lauren Bonsall contended in her Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit that the colleagues asked her personal questions about her intimacy and invited her out on dates, creating a job environment left her with anxiety and anorexia.
Attorneys in the case told Judge Bradley S. Phillips during a post-mediation status conference on Wednesday that the case had been resolved, but no terms were revealed. Filed on Jan. 10, the 26-year-old Bonsall’s lawsuit allegations included wrongful constructive termination, gender discrimination, sexual and sexual orientation harassment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
In their previous court papers, Equinox attorneys denied Bonsall’s accusations and said any decisions made regarding her were done for legitimate business reasons.
Bonsall was hired as a shop associate in October 2021 and promoted to personal trainer in September 2022 due to her strong job performance, the suit stated.
“Unfortunately, Bonsall’s experience with Equinox was destroyed by the male-dominated staff, who subjected her to relentless sexual harassment and created a hostile work environment,” according to the suit.
On numerous occasions, while Bonsall was working at the register, a male co-worker ran a massage gun over his private parts while talking to the plaintiff in a sexually suggestive way and asking her about her sexuality, the suit stated.
A male trainer, apparently probing to find out Bonsall’s sexual preference, asked the plaintiff, “How do you feel about the guys at the gym — or the girls?” according to the suit.
The trainer was fired for sexual harassment and Bonsall thought the workplace conditions would improve but instead, the “nightmare at Equinox continued due to the total lack of enforcing any anti-harassment policy,” the suit alleges.
The harassment Bonsall endured was no secret at Equinox, yet no one intervened to stop the harassment and the men were thus emboldened to escalate their unwanted behavior, according to the suit.
“As a result of the ongoing harassment and emotional distress it caused her … Bonsall had no choice but to resign” in October 2024, the suit states.